Beth and Josh's 2nd Anniversary Party or,
by Nocturne in C Moll
Summary: A one-shot written for the 2nd anniversary of Moonlight’s first airing. What if Mick’s medic training had managed to save Josh in Love Lasts Forever and Beth had stayed with Josh during his long recovery? ...


**Author's note: **This has not been reviewed by a beta, and most of it was written in a hurry late at night and/or last minute, so any boo-boos or ridiculous plotlines (or holes) are mine.

**Introductory note:** This is a one-shot I wrote for the second anniversary of Moonlight's first airing. What if Mick's medic training had managed to save Josh in _Love Lasts Forever _and Beth had stayed with Josh during his long recovery? What if Moonlight hadn't ended? What if Josh learned a few lessons after his and Beth's first anniversary disaster? Here's what may have happened…

* * *

**Beth and Josh's 2nd Anniversary Party **(or, **I Cooked a Dead Chicken For You**)

Beth chewed nervously on the end of her pencil as she reread Josh's mysterious email for the twentieth time. After their disastrous anniversary dinner last year, she was a little nervous about what he had planned for this year. So far, she wasn't _expecting_ any calls to the morgue—but then, most people didn't _expect_ to die, either…and it had been a slow news day so far.

His email only said he had a special anniversary surprise planned for her and that she should wait for him to call with instructions. She sighed. It almost felt like a trap. _I hope he isn't planning on proposing tonight…We're not—_I'm_ not—ready._

"I didn't get an invite this year," a voice said suddenly behind Beth's ear. She jumped and held a hand to her heart. Turning in her seat, she saw her friend. "Oh! Marissa! Don't sneak up on me like that." _And stop reading over my shoulder!_

"Why are you so jumpy?" Marissa said slyly. "Oh, wait—don't tell me. There's someone else, isn't there? You were reading Josh's email about your special anniversary surprise, and thinking about someone else—weren't you?"

_Mick…_ Beth thought automatically, then suddenly shook her head. "What? No! Why do you always think that? …Are _you_ cheating on David?"

"No," Marissa smirked and tossed her hair. "Not really…"

_Ugh…I need to get new friends…_Beth fought the urge to roll her eyes and only raised an eyebrow. An idea occurred to her, and she suppressed a catlike grin. _If this doesn't get her to shut up and go away, I don't know what will. _Aloud, she gasped, "_I_ know…you have a crush on Josh—don't you? You're _hoping_ that I have someone else, because that would leave him free for you! Admit it!" She schooled her face into a scowl.

"Wh-wh-what? N-no!" Marissa stammered, backing slowly away. "I was just teasing you, Beth. I didn't mean it. You know I think you and Josh are fated…re-remember?"

Beth folded her arms across her chest. "Well, I know that's what you _say_…"

"I-I have to go…I'm on deadline. We'll talk later, 'kay? Have fun tonight!" Marissa quickened her step and returned to her desk.

Beth swivelled back around to her computer with a smug smile. Then her cell rang suddenly and she started in her seat. _Man, I really am jumpy today—what's _with_ that?_ She grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID. _Josh. Well, here goes. _She sighed and accepted the call. "Josh?"

"_Hi, Honey. Are you all ready for your surprise_?"

"Um, sure!" she tried to sound enthusiastic.

"_Okay…meet me at the morgue in twenty minutes._"

Beth heard a click and removed the phone from her ear. Staring at the screen, she confirmed he'd hung up. "The _morgue_?" she exclaimed under her breath. "What the—" With a shake of her head, she grabbed her coat and was out the door.

* * *

Beth found Josh waiting for her in the hallway at the morgue. She greeted him with a quick kiss, then said, "What's up? Is there a case you need my help on?"

"Yes," he smiled. "It's a case of 'I've got it bad for Beth Turner.'"

"Heh," she returned his smile reluctantly. _He's only gotten cheesier since he got shot. If I didn't know better, I'd think he got shot in the head—maybe it was all the blood loss—that temporary lack of blood flow to the part of his brain that controls normal human conversation. _

Josh took her hand and led her in to one of the cadaver rooms. Beth's step faltered when she saw the candlelight dinner set out on one of the operating tables.

"It's only wine and cheese and cold cuts…too hard to keep things warm in here. I cooked the chicken last night and sliced it up this morning," Josh said proudly.

She stared at the gourmet spread in its sterile stainless steel surroundings and swallowed slowly. "Um…Josh…no offense, but…this is kind of _creepy_. I don't want to _eat_ in a morgue."

His smile disappeared. "Well, I figured you couldn't leave our anniversary dinner for the morgue if you were already there." He grabbed a glass of wine, chugged the contents, and set it back down on the table.

_Is he really still mad about that_? "Josh, I'm sorry about last year," she slid her arms around his waist and touched her forehead to his shoulder so he couldn't see her face. "There are so many things I wish had happened differently—like, for starters, I wish we hadn't celebrated it with our friends. It should have just been us. Like it is tonight—why don't we pack this stuff up and take it to the park? I have a blanket in my car, we can make it a picnic. And I promise not to answer my phone." She raised her eyes to his, expecting to see a smile, but his face was grim. "—Josh?"

"No, we can't leave yet. There's something I want you to see."

His cool tone made her uneasy and she felt a lump settle in her stomach. "What?"

Josh looked at his watch. "Ten minutes," he said, and started calmly packing up the dishes of food and putting them in a picnic basket he'd pulled up from underneath one of the tables. "By the way, I agree with you about eating in the morgue—creepy."

"But then why—" Her heart started fluttering in her chest. "—What's going to happen in ten minutes?"

"You'll see." He flipped the lid of the picnic basket shut. "Let's go to the room across the hall." He grabbed the basket and took Beth's arm with his free hand. He led her to the door, stopped on the threshold to look up and down the hall, then, seeing that it was clear, walked straight across the passage. The door opened in front of them.

"Carl?" Beth exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Carl said nothing; he stepped back to allow them entrance into the room.

"Josh, what's going on?"

Josh shut the door behind them and pushed her toward a seat beside Carl. "Shh—just watch."

Carl was staring at a screen displaying a live feed of the morgue. Josh leaned over Beth's shoulder. "Any time now—they're like clockwork."

The camera in the morgue started to pick up voices which grew steadily louder. Beth froze as she recognized Mick's voice saying, "…poker nite at Josef's on Friday?" _Oh, this cannot be good._ She looked on in horror as Guillermo walked into the morgue followed by Mick St. John carrying a duffel bag. Both suddenly stopped short, flared their nostrils, and looked at each other.

Carl glanced up at Josh, puzzled. Josh just gave a slight shake of his head as he squinted at the screen. They watched as Mick furrowed his brow and frowned; then as Guillermo shrugged and said, "We'd better do this fast." Mick nodded and followed Guillermo over to a padlocked freezer in the corner. Guillermo unlocked the freezer and put up the lid while Mick unzipped his duffel bag and held it open. Guillermo started yanking out small, dark plastic bags and throwing them into Mick's duffel.

_Oh, definitely not good._

Josh tapped Carl on the arm. Carl nodded and unsnapped his holster. "Stay," Josh whispered to Beth as Carl opened the door quietly and rushed across the hall, followed by Josh.

Beth jumped up as she heard Carl yell, "_Freeze_!"

"Like hell I'm staying. What is it with men?!" she said aloud and ran after them. Entering the morgue she saw Mick and Guillermo calmly facing Carl at gunpoint with their hands raised. Josh stood beside Carl. "Josh, what the hell are you doing?" Beth yelled. "—Carl, put that gun away!" _Like it'd do any good anyway._

But Carl kept his gun trained on the two men. "Kick the bag over here, Private Eye."

Mick shook his head. "I don't think so, Lieutenant."

"St. John, this is not a joke. I _will_ shoot."

"Do you have a warrant?" Mick cocked his head.

"To shoot you? If you don't comply, you bet—and I'll take pleasure in it," Carl took a step closer.

Josh pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and waved it around. "I have a warrant—for the contents of that bag." He opened it and slid it across the table beside Mick so he could read it. "Kick it over."

Mick clenched his jaw and glanced at Guillermo before he complied. While the bag was sliding over to Josh, Guillermo stepped back and kicked the light at the base of the freezer three times.

"Hey, I said _don't…move_!" Carl warned Guillermo.

"Sorry, man—I get a tic when I'm nervous," the morgue attendant shuffled his feet. "Please, don't shoot—I'm terrified," he said in a bored tone. Carl scowled at him.

"Josh," Beth yanked on his sleeve angrily. "What is this?"

"When you kept running into Mick here in the morgue, I was a little suspicious—surely a PI shouldn't so often need to be in the morgue; very few of their clients are dead. I thought maybe he was stalking you, so I started reviewing the security footage," Josh took a breath. "—But, as it turns out, Mick here makes regular visits to the morgue when this particular attendant is on duty—same days, same time. That made me _very_ suspicious.

"There's no camera inside the morgue—only one in the hallway, so all I knew was that Mick often came in with a gym bag that looked a lot heavier when he left. I thought perhaps they were running some kind of black market scam, or stealing evidence, so I arranged for a camera to be put inside the morgue earlier today. It just so happens that one of their regular visits fell on our anniversary. I thought you should be here to witness the unveiling. Might make for a good story—don't you think?"

Beth met his eyes with a fierce glare. "Mick saved your life, Josh. If he hadn't done what he did, you'd be dead right now," she hissed, "This is how you repay him?"

Josh crouched down in front of the duffel bag. "I haven't forgotten, Beth. But I also haven't forgotten how he looks at you—or how you look at him. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Besides, I always knew he was up to something—and I certainly can't overlook the criminal, Beth. Now we'll find out just what he was into…" He reached for the zipper.

Beth glanced worriedly from Mick and Guillermo to the duffel. Josh started to draw the zipper. "Stop, Josh!"

He paused. "Why, Beth? I'm bound to open it, now—warrant, remember?"

"If you had a warrant for Pandora's Box, would you open that, too?" _Probably, if it was to spite Mick_.

"—What?" Josh snapped. Carl's gun arm wavered slightly.

"I know what's in there, Josh, and it's nothing illegal. Just trust me."

"You _know_?"

"Yeah…I know," Beth said gently. "And it'll be better for everyone if you just don't open the bag, Josh." _Don't open the bag, Josh!_

"Um, actually, Beth," Guillermo broke in, "it would be better for me if he just opened the bag. —See, I already pressed a silent alarm calling for the Cleaner, and if she comes and there's no cleanup to be done, she'll be _pissed_. I'll get my ass kicked by a female—and _then_ when I'm down, she'll kick a big bill my way, written in _my own blood_. Literally."

"Wait a minute…what would she be cleaning up?" Carl asked suspiciously.

Guillermo shrugged. "Stick around a minute, you'll find out, man."

"Man, I knew I should have called for backup!"

Mick shook his head slowly. "Nah…backup wouldn't do you much good…"

_Ugh… _Beth pressed a hand to her forehead. _Will I ever have an anniversary that doesn't involve the morgue and end in complete disaster?_!

"What the hell?" Carl kept the gun pointed at Mick, but turned to glare at Josh. "Josh, you said this was going to be simple…"

"It _is_ simple," Josh spat and opened the bag.


End file.
